Hell Pizza – How low can you get?

Apparently, so low that you are flippiant and defiant towards the authority charged with upholding advertising standards.

Read this (RTF Doc) from the Advertising Standards Authority.

The Complaint:

The Complainant C. Windsor said:

“Yesterday 12^th September I received in my mail box a very upsetting advertisement for Hell Pizza, which I hereby enclose.

I don’t think I have seen such a blatantly offensive advertisement ever.

As a country are we not trying to make people aware that children are precious and to have it printed on an advertisement that quote KIDS ARE EVIL is very distressing to me. Haven’t we had enough of our children being mistreated and killed and to refer to them as EVIL is disgusting. …”

The Response:

 “You have asked for Cinderella’s comments in relation to the recent HELL ‘Kids are Evil’ campaign.

…

You have pointed me to a number of sections of the Advertising Code to help me in my response. I hope that your outlining of the various principles is simply a round up of all possible principles that in a dictatorship may constitute a breach, rather than an indication that your office regards any of these principles as having actually been breached by our campaign.

Later

 

Code of Ethics – Rule 5:

Offensiveness – Advertisements should not contain anything which in the light of generally prevailing community standards is likely to cause serious or widespread offence taking into account the context, medium, audience and product (including services).

Response:

Well, bugger me. I believe that prevailing community standards are such that this campaign has not caused serious or widespread offence. – unless you happen to be a member of the religious loony fringe, or have undergone a total humour bypass. Thankfully, I am reasonably certain that ‘prevailing community standards’ are not yet being set by this small group.-otherwise we most certainly wouldn’t be saying bugger on tellie, ever.

Then there’s this little gem:

 

Code for Advertising to Children -Principle 2:

Advertisements should observe a high standard of social responsibility

Response:

We did and we do. …”

A very “I did not have sex with that woman” answer.

Now, I know full well that the advertising complains board is an industry body, and I’ve not got a beef with it overall (yet :P).

I can understand a company having a certain public persona. But that persona is usually dropped in the case of formal complaints. The fact that it is pushed even further speaks volumes about this company.